CLINTON, NY, 22 October (H.S.): A man who received a presidential pardon from Donald Trump for his role in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot was arrested over the weekend and charged with threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Christopher Moynihan, 34, was arrested on Saturday in upstate New York and has pleaded not guilty to making a terroristic threat.

According to court filings, Moynihan sent text messages last Friday outlining his plan to target Jeffries during a scheduled speech at the Economic Club of New York. I cannot allow this terrorist to live, Moynihan allegedly wrote, adding, Even if I am hated, he must be eliminated, I will kill him for the future.

Moynihan was previously sentenced to 21 months in prison in 2023 for his actions during the Capitol breach. Prosecutors said he was among the first rioters to break through police lines and enter the Senate chamber, where he flipped through a notebook on a senator’s desk and was recorded saying they needed to find information to use against these —-bags. In January, on his first day back in office, President Trump pardoned Moynihan along with more than 1,000 other riot defendants, whom he has called hostages.

In a statement on Tuesday, Jeffries thanked law enforcement for apprehending a dangerous individual who made a credible death threat against me with every intention to carry it out. He criticized the clemency, adding, our brave men and women in law enforcement are being forced to spend their time keeping our communities safe from these violent individuals who should never have been pardoned.

Moynihan is being held in a facility in Poughkeepsie and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar